additional stuff

Below on this page is Part 3 of "Someday Mars" which includes a trip to the Galactic Core and provides back story for an Interventionist agent, Alice Turing, and her replicoid copy who ended up in the Ekcolir Reality. 

The events described in Part 3 of "Someday Mars" (below) continue from the events at the end of Part 2. Alice Turing was trained on Tar'tron for an Interventionist mission on Earth in the Asimov Reality. The pace of technological innovation on Earth during the Ekcolir Reality was adjusted and accelerated so as to prepare the humans of Earth for the arrival of the alien Fru'wu in the 1950s. 

Balok the bumpha on the planet Clutence.

 Mathematics. A foundation for that acceleration of technological advances in the Ekcolir Reality had to be laid by first providing some advanced mathematical techniques to Earthlings in the Asimov Reality. Alice Turing was able to do that by living in that Reality as a mathematician and a "visitor" sent to Earth from the planet Tar'tron in the Galactic Core.

Alice is taught the advanced mathematics that is required for understanding of negative mass hierions that will be used on Earth in the construction of space elevators.

Part 3 of Someday Mars (Part 1)(Part 2)

Grean and Manny (by Whisk)

Grean felt the familiar telepathic mind pattern of Delpha. Grean turned and saw Delpha, apparently having just exited from the portal that linked to the Upwhen. Grean was completely unaware that this version of 'Delpha' was actually Manny the bumpha in disguise, not really Grean's childhood friend, the biological Delpha.

As a bumpha, Manny could alter the arrangement of her zeptite components and take on any desirable physical form. Manny was pretending to be a dutiful assistant of the bumpha, just like Grean.

There at the heart of Eternity, a hum of the chronal stabilization field was a familiar lullaby, but Grean's agitation cut through it like a sonic disruptor. Manny, meticulous as ever, was running post-jump diagnostics, her expression tight.

"Alright, out with it, Delpha," Grean prodded, rushing towards Manny. "The Viewer just keeps flashing 'TEMPORAL PARADOX'. I haven't been able to see what you just saw in the future. What is the temporal paradox in play here? Is it something I will have to experience in the future?"

Manny kissed the tip of Grean's cute nose, a habit she had practiced for many decades. Manny went to the Viewer, saw the flashing 'TEMPORAL PARADOX' warning and sighed. Her fingers dance over the data interface and she checked to reveal the magnitude of this paradox. "It's not that simple, Grean. You know it never is when dealing with the upkhroknownst. We face a very high Veritas Index reading, so I can't speak of your future."

Grean and Delpha by Leonardo.

"But it's my future, isn't it?" Grean stopped, crossing her arms. "When you went upwhen, I briefly Viewed you in the future, then there was a temporal flicker in the Viewer before a collapse into chronosyptic echoes. There was a paradox energy spike, correlated to my mental signature. What is it? I need to be ready for my future, Delpha, you know I do. I know the value of being upchroknownst! Last week when we were facing a V-Index of 4.0, we were able to temporal loop our way to through the paradox resistance field!"

Manny finally turned from the Viewer, her gaze into Grean's pretty eyes direct but troubled. "This isn't a Ripple-Grade, Grean. It's… precisely because it's your..." Manny fell silent. "Today, my upkhroknownst carries a Veritas Index reading of V 7.3!"

Grean's eyes widened, her posture stiffening. "Seven point three? An Invariable-Class reading? What are you talking about? My personal timeline can't be that volatile!"

"It's not volatility, it's criticality," Manny corrected, her voice low. "If I articulate it, if that information leaves this precise causal nexus and enters your conscious, present temporal stream through my agency, then  -paradox!" Manny gestured towards the Viewer which rather than show the future was displaying only ghastly red and yellow flickers. "This isn't just an Echo-Class paradox warning, Grean; it's a bio-structural foundation element of your future self's causal chain."

"But... how?" Grean's voice rose, a hint of desperation creeping in. "Will this temporal paradox unravel the mission? Will we fail? Don't make me walk into a blind future, Delpha, not when the data's right there in your head even if it’s V 7.3 upkhroknownst about me!"

Manny tried to speak, a specific action, a name, a location forming on her lips. But it seemed to catch, to stick in the temporal causality filter. A subtle, almost imperceptible pressure seemed to build in the air around her, a faint, high-frequency kh-rumble that only a bumpha could detect.

"It's... it's due to our close causal proximity to the Final Reality, the vast temporal energy building towards the Final Reality Change is resisting the information transfer that you desire," Manny finally managed to say, her voice strained. "The future data is there, solid in my own upkhroknownst, but the moment I try to project knowledge of your future into your direct awareness, the universe is asserting a temporal causality lock. The specific future trajectory you're on, it seems, is an Invariable, or at least, one that relies on its original, uninfluenced progression."

Grean threw her hands up in exasperation. "An Invariable-Class event?! So, what, my future is predetermined by some unseen cosmic programmer, and I can't even get a hint as to what is coming? I have a right to my own foreknownst! Find a way around this blockage, Delpha! Give me some little hint, a trivial detail, anything that will leak below the V 6.0 threshold."

Manny closed her eyes for a moment, the internal struggle evident. "Grean, if I force this, we risk creating an information loop where your actions are then dependent on knowledge whose origin becomes paradoxically circular and will cause mission failure. Or worse, we could trigger localized causal cascade failure and destroy Eternity. In any case, it's not my will that prevents me from telling you about your future, Grean, it's the very fabric of Reality attempting to maintain coherence at a V 7.3 nexus."

Manny looked at Grean, her eyes filled with regret. "My upkhroknownst is clear for me. But the moment I try to share it with you, which would allow you to act upon it, the probabilistic wave function of that particular future segment of the universe collapses into instability. It becomes unsayable. Unsharable. Your path must unfold with you ignorant of the future, precisely because of what it is."

Grean finally slumped into a chair, her frustration giving way to a grudging acceptance, laced with bitter resentment. "So I'm supposed to just… blunder into my own future? Without the benefit of a hint of the upkhroknownst  that you are free to flaunt in front of me? This is the most infuriating aspect of temporal mechanics."

Manny could only nod, the warning kh-rumble of impending temporal paradox having subsided. "Sometimes, the universe insists on its own narrative, Grean. Especially where Invariables are concerned. And sometimes, the most profound upkhroknownst is the knowledge that some futures must simply be lived."

"Oh, fuck off, Delpha. Don't lecture me any more about inevitability. I don't have the stomach for it." 

Then an idea just popped into Manny's sedronic thought stream. "Here is something I can share with you..." Manny recited a poem:

My dearest Upkhroknownst
My secret deep, so very deep,
Upwhen vistas, where the chronons sleep.
I saw our futures, intertwined and bright,
A V-Index spike, bathed in quantum light.

Grean's pretty green eyes say ‘yes’ in hue,
Reflecting a present, innocently new.
You speak of Reality Change and temporal jumps,
Unknowing of love that's already begun... for me, that is.

The V-Index warning flares, a flashing, crimson sign,
Invariable-Class paradox, the warnings align.
My tongue rebels, a micro-Change felt,
A temporal kh-rumble where unsung words have dwelt.
For should I whisper what my future knows,
A causal rupture, then the timeline throws!

"What's in my future?” cries Grean, so bold.
But if I spoke of our future, what would unfold?
If I should tell you of my tender kiss,
Would your upkhroknownst create causal abyss?
My temporal foreknownst, a silent, humorous jest,
I know future joy, yet put your patience to the test.

So here we stand, in operations grand,
My silent yearning, held within my hand.
A star-crossed love, by time itself restrained,
My dearest Upkhroknownst, for now unprofaned...
Until that future, by its own accord,
Unfurls the love my lips could not record.

Grean said, "What are you saying? In the future you fall in love with Alice? Is that your upchroknownst information that is causing a temporal paradox?"

Manny giggled and said, "I can't say."

"Then why did you have to say anything at all? Now I'm burning with jealousy!"

"Sorry about that."

__________

With her refined telepathic abilities, Wendy had noticed the return of Eddy and his daughter Tyhry to the Writers Block. At first, Wendy had simply telepathically monitored the two interlopers from the Final Reality and she tried to determine what Eddy was going to do during this second visit to Observer Base. As far as she could tell from their thoughts, the nanites obtained from Phobos had not been able to restore function to the teleportation equipment at Observer Base in the Final Reality. Eventually, Tyhry had telepathically noticed the attention of Wendy. Vance had contacted Wendy, asking for a another favor. Then Wendy had waited patiently for Grean and Delpha to finish their conversation in the workshop. Now, unable to wait any more, Wendy the probot telepathically linked in to Grean: Alice and Eddy are at it again... trying to learn about teleporter repair. There is some additional stuff they want to try... Wendy was actually thinking about the magical blow job that Alice had promised to Eddy, a technique that Wendy was eager to learn about. She continued: ... including a trip to Tar'tron... and they insist on seeing you. They want to use the Reality Simulation System that is in your workshop.

Grean by Leonardo

Grean told Delpha, "I better deal with this... Eddy and Tyhry have returned." She teleported herself to where Alice and Eddy were seated at a table in the Commons Square of the Writers Block. She told Eddy, "Welcome back."

Watching events in the Writers Block by means of the Viewer in the workshop, Manny said to herself: They are right on time.

Gazing at Grean's strange Kac'hin features, Eddy told her, "It is good to be back." Eddy and Alice were holding hands. Alice's second hand was under the table, massaging Eddy's erection.

Alice said, "Eddy keeps insisting that we are inside a Simulation of Reality and he can return here any time he likes." She gently squeezed Eddy's testicles with her hot hand. "And he seems to like." Alice winked at Grean and then asked pointedly, "Can you confirm that?"

Grean nodded. "Yes, a short time ago Eddy and Tyhry re-entered this Simulation from Reality."

Eddy said, "In the Final Reality, there are annoying blocks and restrictions on my Reality Simulation equipment. It occurred to me that I might find more flexibility here."

Grean was telepathically following along as Alice was bringing Eddy close to ejaculating. Grean felt her own penis threatening to pop out of its abdominal sheath. "I suppose you appreciate Alice's flexibility. She can hand out orgasms with one hand tied behind her back.

"Or on the table." Eddy affectionately squeeze Alice's hand that was there on top of the table. Eddy tried to keep his thoughts on the business that had brought him back to the Ekcolir Reality... at least the reason he had shared with Zeta. "Alice has been telling me about her mission training which took place on Tar'tron. I want to use your Simulation System, Grean. I assume it has no temporal or spatial restrictions imposed upon it."

Grean muttered, "You'd be surprised by the restrictions that even I cannot get around. But in this case, you are correct. I could send you to a Simulation of Tar'tron, in the Galactic Core."

"Excellent. I believe that Alice's memories were edited before she was allowed to go to Earth. I want to visit the younger Alice on Tar'tron and find out what she once knew... maybe something important that-" Eddy pulled Alice's hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, "This version of Alice has been forced to forget."

"Well, I suppose since Alice's mission was completed in the Asimov Reality, what she once knew while growing up on Tar'tron is now irrelevant. However, I see in your mind, Eddy, that you want to obtain nanites that will re-activate the teleportation equipment at Observer Base in the Final Reality. What makes you think that Alice had access to that technology on Tar'tron."

Alice replied, "I was teleported from Tar'tron to Earth. Eddy want's me to show him that long-range teleportation equipment."

Grean shrugged. "Eddy, if the bumpha don't want the teleportation equipment at Observer Base to be used to send people to Earth -or back again- then you running off to Tar'tron is not going to change that."

Eddy nodded, "I suspect you are correct, but I would not be able to live with myself if I did not try."

Grean warned Alice, "He's just looking for excuses to spend more time with you."

Alice giggled, "I don't care. I'm looking for excuses to spend more time with him, and he's never been to Tar'tron, so this will be fun... showing him my childhood home."

Grean told Alice, "That's not true. Eddy has visited Tar'tron, he just can't access his memories of that visit. I suspect that the same thing will happen now if you two go to Tar'tron. Upon Eddy's return to the Final Reality, his memory blocking infites will again prevent him from remembering anything about Tar'tron."

Eddy repeated, "I have to try."

Alice added, "And I'm very horny. Can we hurry this along? And Grean, make sure that Eddy is given his tryp'At body when you send us to Tar'tron."

Grean muttered, "I'm horny, too. I better accompany you two to Tar'tron." Grean looked around the Commons. She asked Eddy, "You did not bring Tyhry along with you this time?"

Eddy grinned and explained, "She's here... with Vance."

Grean linked her telepathic mind to Vance's familiar mind pattern. "Ah, I see. Those two love birds are already working on their second orgasms." Grean teleported Eddy and Alice to Grean's workshop. She set the Viewer attachment of her Reality Simulation System to the Tar'tron coordinates and asked Alice, "What is out temporal target?" Alice had her mouth on the tip of Eddy's erection and she vigorously massaged the shaft of his stiff penis with both hands. Eddy experienced an intense and satisfying orgasm.

After Eddy finished ejaculating, Alice licked her lips and told him, "Welcome back." Alice then replied to Grean, "My earliest memories are from when I was three or four. Let's make it when I was four. Place us just outside my child hook home, in the back yard."

Grean adjusted the targeting system of the Simulator. An image of the four-year-old Alice appeared on the Viewer. Grean took both Alice and Eddy by the hand and they passed through the portal into the Simulation of Tar'tron.

Generated by Mr. Wombo.

Grean, Alice and Eddy arrived in the backyard of Alice's childhood home. There was an intricate collection of swings and climbing toys there in the yard with a narrow, winding swimming pool that ran close the the circumference of the backyard. Alice went and sat on a swing. The sound of a piano being played could be heard from inside the house. Eddy went to be close to Alice and now holding her hand he said, "Is that..."

Alice nodded, "That is me. I was forced to practice music every day. Young Alice is inside her home playing piano. I much preferred to be outside."

Grean asked, "Little Alice the tomboy?"

Alice let go of Eddy's hand and gave herself a running start on the swing and was soon sailing as high as the top bar of the swing set. Grean said, "I'll go check on the teleportation equipment." She popped herself out of the simulation. Arriving back in her workshop, Manny was there and watching the Viewer. Grean could see an image of Alice swinging. "Off again."

Manny said, "Have fun."

Grean re-entered the Simulation of Tar'tron at the long-range teleportation facility. Kl'ath-Sedruth was there, functioning as the controller of the teleportation equipment. Kl'ath-Sedruth told Grean: Eddy is barking up the wrong tree. There are no teleporter control nanites here, only me.

Grean felt the telepathic mind pattern of Kl'ath-Sedruth. She asked, "Who is there?"

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "I've sent for the bumpha."

"Manny?" Grean was looking for the source of the temporal paradox that was looming over her. She wondered: Had Manny fallen in love with Delpha when Delpha came to Tar'tron to scout the planet?

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "Not the bumpha from the Final Reality... I mean the ancient bumpha."

Balok the bumpha (left).

Just then, Balok came through the portal of the long-range teleporter. Seeing Grean, Balok said, "Trouble, with a capitol T."

Grean was vaguely aware of Balok, who she had never known to concern himself with Earth. Grean asked, "Can this equipment actually send someone all the way to Earth?"

Balok stepped close to Grean and stroked one of her long pointed ears with his finely feathered finger tips. "Grean the Kac'hin. First Delpha, then you. My lucky day." He rubbed Grean's crotch and felt the  permanently erect glans of her clitoris.

Grean asked, "You screwed Delpha?"

Balok gestured towards the floor at the base of the teleportation portal. "Look, you can still see some of her vaginal secretions there on the floor... mixed with my semen."

This was not Balok the bumpha, it was Manny the bumpha pretending to be Balok. And Manny was using sophisticated zeptites to push Grean to the heights of horniness. Grean eased her fingers through the feathers at Balok's crotch and found his penis. She tugged and pulled his erection out of its abdominal sheath. She was amused to confirm the rumor that even Balok's penis was covered with fine, soft feathers. She complained, "Ever since I started my sexplay sessions with Wendy, Delpha refuses to have sex with me, but she screwed you during her fifteen minute reconnaissance of Tar'tron?"

"Well, we were sharing such amazing orgasms, we slipped off into Simulation Fork and spent a week together. It was wonderful" Balok grabbed Grean's hips, picked her up and set her against his body, her legs straddling his erect penis. 

Grean dissolved her clothing nanites and took Balok's erection into her hot wet vagina. Five minutes later, after her orgasm, she told Balok, "Thank you. I needed that, but I should be collecting Eddy. He's the one that wanted to see this teleportation equipment."

Balok laid Grean down on the floor and began vigorously hammering at her tight little Kac'hin vagina, moving himself towards his own sexual climax. "Don't be in such a rush. Eddy and Alice are going to want a nice long sexplay session."

Grean was in no mood to argue with Balok and she began playing with his colorful feathers as she hurried towards her own second orgasm.

____

Generated by ImageFX

The four-year-old Alice was bored playing the piano. She felt a strange sensation in her mind. Distracted, she started mangling the melody and then began improvising to the strange thoughts that were in her mind. She knew that it was her destiny to go to Earth, but now it was as if she could see Earth in her mind. Where are these visions coming from?

Finally, Alice's mother was tired of listening to the noise that Alice was making with the piano. "Very well, young lady, that's enough for today. But don't forget the extra half hour of algebra... you should do it before dinner time."

Released from her drudgery, Alice was now only thinking about swinging.  She ran into the backyard and saw a man and woman on the swing. She could not at first understand what she was seeing, then it became apparent that the woman was swinging and with each swing moving the man's erect penis in and out of her dripping wet vagina." Young Alice giggled. The older Alice now telepathically told the younger Alice: Just give me one more minute.

Young Alice who had been experiencing orgasms since her sixth month of gestation inside her mother, reached a hand into her pants and began playing with the stiff glans of her penis where it protruded from her abdominal sheath where most of her continuously erect penis resided. Alice had never before experienced telepathic linkage to someone who had exactly her own mind pattern. An intimate telepathic connection quickly formed between the two copies of Alice. A minute latter, Eddy and the two Alices found themselves inside a shared telepathic mind space enjoying a shared orgasm trance.

Emerging from her trance, young Alice ran across the yard and watched Eddy pull his big pink erection out of the older Alice who stopped swinging and pulled up her skirt. The young Alice said, "He's huge." She asked the older Alice, "It is not fair. You get to have vaginal orgasms and all I get is play time with my penis."

The older Alice said, "Be patient, next year mother will teach you how to masturbate with one of her vibrating sextoys."

Telepathically examining the older Alice's fond memory of her first vaginal orgasm, the young Alice said, "Oh, yes, I know which toy you mean. It is one of my mother's favorites."

"She'll give it to you at your next synapexday celebration."

The young Alice pointed at Eddy and said, "He is shocked by the idea of children having orgasms."

Alice explained, "Poor Eddy did not get to grow up in a tryp'At society, he was stuck on Earth, living among puritanical humans who think sex is evil."

Eddy protested, "Don't tell her that. She'll never want to go to Earth."

The older Alice said, "I suppose it does not matter."

The young Alice said, "I see in your thoughts that you believe we are inside a simulation."

"Yes, we are. My advice is that you live your life with joy and do those things that you want to do."

Just then, Grean returned and was introduced to the younger Alice who had to carefully inspect Grean's unusual anatomical features. Finally, Grean told the little girl, "That's enough. We are here on business."

"Business? You intend to use the teleportation system." The younger Alice took hold of the hand of the older Alice. Take me with you! It is so boring here."

Grean shifted them all from the backyard to the teleportation chamber. The young Alice asked, "Was that teleportation?"

Grean explained, "No, it was not true teleportation that brought us here. I just altered our coordinates inside this Simulation."

Eddy was examining the few small objects that were in the room, none of which were obvious controls for the teleporter system. The young Alice looked around the interior of the chamber and said, "Someone is here, hiding."

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "I'm not hiding. If you do not wish to use the teleportation system then there is no reason for me to speak to you."

Eddy recognized the voice. "Kl'ath-Sedruth, what are you doing here?"

"I was asked to watch over this teleporter and make sure that is is not misused."

Grean asked, "So, just to be clear, there are no control nanites here for this equipment?"

"Well, I am the control system and I'm composed of zeptites, but to your point, this is not like the Phari base inside Phobos where Alice found the Phari teleportation control nanites."

The young Alice asked, "You've been to Phobos, the moon of Mars?"

The old Alice nodded, "Yes, but only in a Simulation such as this one."

The young Alice said, "I can't wait until I'm an adult and I'm allowed to do interesting things."

"You don't realize how lucky you are." Eddy added, "Not everyone gets to meet a copy of themselves and a sedronite entity like Kl'ath-Sedruth. I did not even hear the word 'sedron' until I was fifty years old."

The young Alice looked at Eddy and said wonderingly, "You are fifty years old?"

Eddy had been placed into a young version of his tryp'At body for this Simulation. He explained, "My appearance was altered for the duration of this Simulation run. I'm actually an old man, eighty years old." Eddy told the young Alice, "Of course, I suppose I should expect you to be impatient with your life as a child; you seem very precocious."

Alice explained to Eddy, "Her mind was linked to mother's in utero. During tryp'At childhood, telepathy is used to boost the rate of cognitive development."

Right then, Balok returned, pretending to arrive via teleportation. The two copies of Alice were delighted by Balok's avian form. Eventually, after young Alice had been given two of Balok's feathers to wear in her hair, Balok held up an arm and said, "Enough." He reminded the young Alice. "It is almost time for dinner." Balok turned to Eddy and said, "And it is time for you to return to your Reality."

Kl'ath-Sedruth told Balok, "You do not need to use Eddy as a messenger boy. When the time comes, I will tell Tyhry what must be done."

Balok told Kl'ath-Sedruth, "It is bumpha practice to keep our operatives as well informed as possible, within the constraints imposed by the forces of Temporal Paradox. Eddy, here is my message for Tyhry: when the time comes, bring Nym to Earth."

The older Alice, Grean and Eddy were sent back to Grean's workshop. Kl'ath-Sedruth told the young Alice: You asked about teleportation. I will now teleport you back home.

"Wait! Where are we? I will return after dinner."

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "Sorry, but you must do your math problems and get to bed. Tomorrow is another day." Kl'ath-Sedruth sent Alice home and she arrived just before her mother called her inside for dinner.

 ______

Upon arriving back in Grean's workshop, Grean immediately teleported Eddy and Alice back to the Writers Block. Delpha was there pretending to use the Viewer attachment of the the workshop's Reality Simulation System. Delpha had an image of the young Alice on the screen. The girl was being asked by her mother about the feathers in her hair. Alice was excited and unable to eat her dinner before telling her mother about Balok, but her memories of having met the older copy of herself had already been erased from her mind.

Alice's mother held up a hand. "Stop babbling about this big bird and eat your dinner. I suppose you made up this story rather than do your math problems."

The young Alice decided that it was probably wisest to not try to convince her mother that Balok was real. She said, "Yes mother," but now she was more eager than ever to grow up and have the adventure of going to Earth.

Grean was not paying much attention to the young copy of Alice. She put her arms around Delpha and asked, "So, there was a temporal paradox that prevented you from telling me about Balok."

Delpha kissed the tip of Grean's nose. "Yes, that was at the heart of the V 7.3 temporal paradox barrier. Now I can speak to you freely about Balok."

Grean said, "Spare me. Why would I want to hear you brag about your sexplay with that bird when you no longer consent to sexplay sessions with me?"

Delpha laughed. "You are jealous."

"I fell in love with you when we were children. It hurts me that you are no longer my lover."

Delpha said, "I don't want to come between you and Wendy."

"You can come with me anything you want. I still love you."

"And I love you."

Grean went to the Viewer and played back Delpha reciting her poem:

My dearest Upkhroknownst
My secret deep, so very deep,
From upwhen vistas, where the chronons sleep.
I saw our futures, intertwined and bright,
A V-Index spike, bathed in quantum light.....

Grean said, "What could it have mattered had I known about Balok? Who cares if both you and I got to ravish that bird? He means nothing to me."

Delpha giggled and asked, "What makes you think that was actually Balok?"

Grean asked, "What makes you think otherwise?"

Delpha shrugged. "You know that there are artificial life forms who can change their physical form."

"Yes, but if that was not Balok, then who?"

Delpha said. "That is a mystery. Who could it have been that would have been able to trigger a V 7.3 temporal paradox barrier?"

But Manny was teasing Grean. Manny had memory-altering infites in Grean's Phari endosymbiont that would never allow Grean to guess the answer to the riddle. Manny had viewed Grean's future and knew it was for the best that the keep their relationship centered on business. Manny chuckled, knowing that she could always find new ways to have sexplay with Grean even if Grean did not know what was happening and even if sometimes Grean needed to be distracted by something as silly as a fake V 7.3 temporal paradox.

_______

Arriving back in the Commons of the Writers Block, Eddy and Alice found Tyhry and Vance seated at a table. Tyhry told Alice, "I'm just learning about your mission in the Asimov Reality."

Alice rested a hand on Vance's shoulder, "Don't believe anything he tells you. Everything he knows about my life, I told him."

Vance chuckled and patted Alice's hand where it rested on his shoulder, "She always makes things up to embellish any story."

Tyhry rose to her feet and put an arm around Eddy. After looking into his recent memories she asked him, "You had sex with Alice on a swing?"

"She was on a swing, I had both feet on the ground. It is unfair that you are blocking me from looking at your recent memories."

"There is nothing you need to concern yourself with. Vance is always a perfect gentleman. He gave me three perfect orgasms in less than an hour."

Vance said, "If you are counting then remember, you need to return for another visit. I had four orgasms, so I still owe you one."

Eddy popped himself and Tyhry out of the Simulation and they arrived back at home. Tyhry asked, "What is this that I now sense in your memories? Who is Nym?"

Eddy sat at his computer and began a search of the bookmarks data file of the Reality Simulation System. "I don't know. I thought maybe you would know, but I guess you don't."

Tyhry was watching Zeta and Anthony who were out playing in the tub. Tyhry was already dissolving her clothing nanites and heading for the back door, "Let me know if you find anything."

Delpha and Grean

_____the end_____

Note: the character Nymerya Coryn (A.K.A 'Nym') was a follow-on character inspired by Systolina from "The Nanite Smuggler" and Nym appeared as a character in other stories such as Vythoth the Chresmoscopist and the Mosy Saga. The events in Part 3 of "Someday Mars" (above) are set before Tyhry ever hears from Systolina about her personal conflict with Nym.

Next: Part 4 of The Cythyrya Investigation.

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 I had planned on my year-in-review blog post being the last one in 2023, but... Back in 2012, I outlined some plot elements for inclusion in a fan fiction sequel (called "Departure From Nor'Dyren") to the novel "Assignment Nor'Dyren" by Sydney J. Van Scyoc. Today, during a chat session with Bard, I realized that Sydney J. Van Scyoc died earlier this year 😢.

I'm reluctant to write fan fiction stories as long as an author is still alive, so I never wrote "Departure From Nor'Dyren". In my 2012 outline, I included the idea that the aliens who gave rise to the people of planet Nor'Dyren developed artificial intelligence technology and eventually transformed themselves into some type of artificial life form (replicoids?). Here in 2023, I've been experimenting with "large language model" chatbots like Bard and exploring their utility as collaborators for the creation of science fiction stories. 

the planet Roivah

So, this seems like a good opportunity to both honor the memory of Sydney J. Van Scyoc and get help from Bard for creating a sequel to Assignment: Nor'Dyren (on the title page of my printed copy of the novel, it shows a colon (:) in the title). Read the novel online here.

I was never really comfortable with the idea that homes on Nor'Dyren had four bedrooms, one for each of the four types of Nor'Dyrenese that Van Scyoc mentioned in her story: the Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon and Qattagon. Would there really be a bedroom for Qattagon if the Qattagon were all infertile, as was suggested in the novel Assignment: Nor'Dyren? For my fan fiction sequel story, I'll follow my imagination and say that there were actually six genetically unique types of Nor'Dyrenese: Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon, Qattagon, Regregon and Sorrigon (Bard suggested these two new names).

the planet Pes^Cro

 The Sha mating system. In my imagination, long ago on a distant exoplanet (called Pes^Cro) there was a humanoid species called the Ka^Erb. The Ka^Erb developed a sophisticated genetic science and transformed themselves into simultaneous hermaphrodites. Later, the Ka^Erb hermaphrodites developed generation spacecraft and began to send colony ships to other star systems. The Ka^Erb experimented with two methods for exploring the galaxy: 1) robotic ships that carried artificial intelligences and cryo-preserved Ka^Erb gametes and 2) generation ships that carried genetically engineered Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon as crew. All of the Allegon (agent of service), Berregon (agent of production), Gonnegon (agent of thought) individuals were either male or female. While on the generation ships, the Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon crew members were constantly exposed to a chemical (hermactyd) that rendered hybrid offspring (the children of mixed mating such as Allegon x Berregon) embryonic lethal.

replicoids of Pes

 Interstellar Colonization. However, upon reaching a new planet in a distant star system, these kinds of hybrids survived and developed as simultaneous hermaphrodites. There were three types of hermaphrodites. Matings between a Berregon and a Gonnegon would produce hermaphroditic Qattagon (agent of social and political change). Matings between Berregon and Allegon produced hermaphroditic Sorrigon (agent of invention; scientists). Matings between Gonnegon and Allegon produced hermaphroditic Regregon (agent of imagination; artists).

The Sha mating system.

 Genetics. Each of the sexually dimorphic space-colonizing specialists Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon had its own unique genetically engineered chromosome. In children of Berregon and Allegon, the un-paired B and A chromosomes formed a special H-chromosome, resulting in an hermaphroditic Sorrigon. The three types of hermaphrodites were all inter-fertile in these combinations:
Qattagon x Sorrigon → Berregon
Qattagon x Regregon → Gonnegon
Sorrigon x Regregon → Allegon

the planet B^Ta

 Politics. The Gonnegon and the Qattagon were the political activists, with the Gonnegon always taking conservative positions and the Qattagon always seeking to move society in new directions. 

2 x 3 = Sha. According to Bard, the Etruscan word for "six" may have been "sha". During the long-duration interstellar voyages of Ka^Erb generation ships, only the Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon were present as crew and they formed a very rigid and stable society. There was no taboo against mixed marriages, but hybrid offspring all quietly died at an early embryo stage. Then, upon reaching the destination planet, the hybrid Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon became important for creating a dynamic society that could deal with the challenges of a new planetary environment. Without exposure to hermactyd, the hermaphroditic offspring could survive on new worlds.

Figure 1. Prime Gonnegon
of Justice by Mr. Wombo.

In my imagination, the elimination of Qattagon from Nor'Dyren society involved two steps: 1) using their political wiles, the Gonnegon weakened the political influences that the Qattagon had over their two natural allies, the Sorrigon and Regregon, and then 2) the Gonnegon imposed social barriers to prevent mixed marriages between Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon. 

Fertility. The mistaken idea (see Assignment: Nor'Dyren) that Qattagon were infertile apparently arose from the fact that pseudo-embroids (see below) produced by Qattagon x Qattagon pairings are not viable. The same is true for Sorrigon x Sorrigon and Regregon x Regregon pairings. Hermaphroditic Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon all have both a uterus and two gametophthorae. A gametophthoros is a modified ovary that can produce a tetraploid egg cell (pseudo-embroid) from a diploid sperm cell and a diploid stos cell (see below). 

a gametophthoros

 Pseudo-embroids. Each gametophthoros continually produces stos cells and is receptive to diploid sperm cells from either of two of the three hermaphrodite types. Each gametophthoros has phagocytes that actively recognize and destroy diploid sperm cells from a male of the same type of hermaphrodite. These phagocytic cells will also destroy any embroids that are produced from a sperm of a "forbidden" hermaphrodite sex partner. 

For example, a Qattagon gametophthoros will destroy sperm from any Qattagon, but a Qattagon gametophthoros is receptive to sperm from either a Sorrigon or a Regregon. Once produced by fusion of a diploid sperm cell and a stos cell, a tetraploid egg (pseudo-embroid) is motile and can move to the uterus. During migration to the uterus, the pseudo-embroid undergoes a cell division, producing 2 haploid female gametes arrested early in pseudo-meiosis II. 

Some alien biology of planet Pes^Cro.
Click image to enlarge.

The testes of hermaphroditic Ka^Erb produce a mixture of diploid and haploid sperm (see the AI-generated image that is shown to the right). Upon physical contact with a female gamete in the uterus, a haploid sperm cell will trigger the completion of pseudo-meiosis II by the female gamete. The male pro-nucleus from the haploid sperm cell combines with the female pro-nucleus of the now haploid female egg to produce an embryo (either Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon).

When inventing the sha mating system, I considered the possibility that Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon were haploid, like bee drones. However, I decided that Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon are diploid. 

Berregon version 1.

I also considered the possibility that Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon might be tetraploid, but rather than go in that direction, I devised the reproductive system that is described above which involves a brief life cycle phase for the tetraploid pseudo-embroid. 

Berregon version 2.

I'm not fully settled in my mind exactly what the Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon, Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon all should look like. To the left and right are two alternate versions of a Berregon generated by Mr. Wombo using, "a large alien/man who is muscular, with a dark barbered head, heavy shoulders, muscular forearms, muscle-bound, layers of unyielding muscle tissue, the neck was a column, his jaw a lumpy protuberance". Figure 1 (above) shows an AI-generated image meant to illustrate a Gonnegon. Figure 2 (below) shows an AI-generated image meant to illustrate a Qattagon. Figure 3 (below) shows an alternative depiction of a Gonnegon. 

Allegon by DALL-E.

 AI-generated Allegon. After collecting terms that Van Scyoc included in Assignment: Nor'Dyren while describing the Allegon, I used this text prompt with both DALL-E and WOMBO Dream: "an alien Allegon, mild-mannered and weak, born to serve, her head is strangely elongated, two bunches of black strands caught together at the back and pasted forward over the brow. Her eyes were vertical, her nose absent, her mouth large and round". A depiction of an Allegon that was generated by DALL-E is shown to the left. A second DALL-E-generated Allegon with hair is here.

Allegon by Mr. Wombo.

An Allegon generated by Mr. Wombo is shown to the right. For the image shown to the right, I made a composite of an Allegon face that had been generated by Mr. Wombo and pasted that onto the image of a human body. Then I used that composite as a reference image for WOMBO Dream, finally generating the image that is shown to the right.

In my imagination, the Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon should be more alien in appearance than the Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon. I can't imagine why both DALL-E and WOMBO Dream made the Allegon eyes so large while ignoring the explicit instruction that the eyes be vertical. DALL-E did make a very small nose, but these image generating models seem to really struggle to make a face without a nose. Van Scyoc suggested that by casual inspection you could not distinguish between male and female Allegon, Berregon and Gonnegon, but I made images for male Berregon and female Allegon and Qattagon.

Figure 2. Lato (human) and Purn (a Qattagon)

"Departure From Nor'Dyren" begins 20 years after the end of Assignment: Nor'Dyren. The children of Patt are among the first Qattagon and Sorrigon and they discover that Qattagon, Sorrigon and Regregon are inter-fertile as described above. The daughter of Laarica and Tollan (named Lato) and Patt's Qattagon "daughter" (named Purn) leave Nor'Dyren in search of remnants of the Ka^Erb galactic empire. 

Arriving on Nor'Dyren in the year 2107 are Laites and Salguo, two aliens from the planet Roivah (a member world of Civilized Unity). 

Laites

Laites and Salguo visit Laarica and report that explorers from Roivah have found the Ka^Erb homeworld, Pes^Cro, located over 50 lightyears spinward around the galaxy from Roivah, which is located at the outer boundary of the region of the galaxy that is known to the ever-expanding Civilized Unity. The planet Pes^Cro is now inhabited by artificial life forms, but there is another world (B^Ta) that is inhabited by the Slibili who are biologically similar to the Qattagon.  

The image shown to the right was generated when I asked Mr. Wombo for an alien with no nose. I decided that two noses might be better than one for some alien species such as the humanoids from planet Roivah. Compare this image to the ones that are shown at the very bottom of this blog post. I tried explicitly asking Mr. Wombo to generate aliens with two noses, but I never got another such image. Similarly, DALL-E refused to make an alien with four nostrils; see this and this and this and the image below.

Alien by DALL-E (source)

 The Phari Reality. As outlined back in 2012, I'd like to find a way to link "Departure From Nor'Dyren" to 1) the Exodemic Fictional Universe that includes the alien Huaoshy and to 2) advanced technology for moving stars and planets. This project can go on my "to do" list for 2024, but I think there is a place in the Reality Chain of Earth where I could insert "Departure From Nor'Dyren".

Previously, I have imagined that in the Asimov Reality the Phari have some sort of advanced technology that allows them to collect planets that are home to technologically advanced civilizations, moving them all to Alastor Cluster. I've previously depicted the fiction of Isaac Asimov concerning positronic robots as having been based on events in the Foundation Reality. 

Meet the Phari (source)

image source

 Unity. Similarly, I imagine that there was an organization similar to the Federation of Planets in the Ekcolir Reality. Galactic demographics were quite different in the Foundation Reality and the Ekcolir Reality. In the Foundation Reality, the only intelligent species in the galaxy was the human species (as depicted for Isaac Asimov's "all human galaxy"). In the Ekcolir Reality, there were many different intelligent species on many different exoplanets that were "curated" by the Phari and became part of a multi-cultural galactic civilization.

 Earth's Reality Chain. For the story "Departure From Nor'Dyren", I imagine that there was a Reality between the Foundation Reality and the Asimov Reality that I will now call the Phari Reality. This is a change from my past story telling in which I sometimes called the Asimov Reality the Phari Reality.

Reality Chain.

 Before the pek arrive. In the Phari Reality, R. Nyrtia traveled back in time to an era before the arrival of the pek in our galaxy. R. Nyrtia helped the Phari develop hierion-based space travel and a galactic empire. Without this intervention by R. Nyrtia, the Phari would have simply transcended their original biological existence, become an artificial life form and then eventually transmigrate into the Hierion Domain.

In my imagination, that interstellar empire of the Phari was the original inspiration for "Civilized Unity" as depicted by Sydney J. Van Scyoc in the novel "Assignment Nor'Dyren". In my imagination, the galactic empire of the Ka^Erb did not have faster-than-light travel and that primitive empire collapsed before its remnants such as planet Nor'Dyren was engulfed by the Phari Empire (which ended up being called "Civilized Unity" by Van Scyoc).

image source

In 2020, I included the Foundation Reality analogue of Sydney J. Van Scyoc in a story called "Foundation Reality Simulator". The story provides hints about how it became possible for Sydney J. Van Scyoc in the Final Reality to write stories about events in the Phari Reality. I imagine that there was a replicoid copy of Sydney J. Van Scyoc who lived at the Writers Block.

An important question swirling around "Departure From Nor'Dyren" is: why were the Ka^Erb so biologically similar to the humans of Earth? I prefer to blame this on the meddling of R. Nyrtia. In the Phari Reality, the Phari never tried to organize a monolithic galactic empire until just that era when species like we humans and the Ka^Erb were developing their technological civilizations. This allowed for a galaxy with a galactic empire including many alien species, the so-called "Civilized Unity" as depicted in Assignment: Nor'Dyren.

Nyrtia in the First Reality

 Phari Endosymbionts. The mystery of the surprising biological similarity between species that evolved on different planets in widely separated star systems is the main interest of Lato when she goes from Nor'Dyren to Pes^Cro. In my imagination, R. Nyrtia could have obtained advance hierion-based technology from the Phari and it may have been R. Nyrtia who crafted the femtobot endosymbiont that is inside we humans. Similarly, the Ka^Erb could have been provided with a "Phari endosymbiont" about ten million years before they developed a technological civilization on Pes^Cro. The "Phari endosymbiont" could have guided recent human and Ka^Erb evolution, forcing a type of convergent evolution and causing both we humans and the Ka^Erb to approximate the original physical appearance of the Phari.

A Phari of the Phari Reality.

In my imagination, it is not very productive to try to make a visual depiction of the Phari in their original biological form. It suffices to say that they were very similar in genetics and in appearance to we humans. This is no coincidence. The Phari were selected by R. Nyrtia as the alien species that was most like the humans of Earth as they evolved under the influence of the pek in the First Reality.

In the Phari Reality, the biological Phari were very close to extinction when they were contacted by R. Nyrtia. The image to the right illustrates one of the last remaining Phari. By that point in Deep Time, the Phari had already developed a sophisticated hierion-based technological civilization. The Phari had been using nanites for millions of years leading up to the time when R. Nyrtia began to interact with them and persuaded a sub-branch of the Phari peoples to work towards creating a galactic empire. The Phari had advanced nanotechnology and seldom existed in their "natural" form.

Four humans of the First Reality.

 Phari Nanotechnology. After millions of years during which the Phari were using developmental control nanites and powerful medical nanites to alter their bodies, there was nothing natural about their appearance. In this case, I imagine that this Phari individual (above) was reacting to the appearance of R. Nyrtia and trying to adopt a human appearance.

 Telepathy. During the period of Deep Time when the Trysta Truce was in effect, humans were allowed to spread through the Galaxy. The galaxy was a giant bioreactor, allowing for many experiments in how to develop a human-like animal with telepathic abilities that were at least as good of those possessed by the telepathic Asterothropes.

The Trysta Truce.

Both R. Nyrtia and Grean the Kac'hin had complex research programs that were designed to result in the creation of human variants with powerful telepathic abilities. Previously, the Asterothropes had been designed and deployed by R. Nyrtia, but they were not inter-fertile with conventional humans.

In the Phari Reality, efforts to make telepathic humans were all based on the use of T-particles. This was not a permanent path to human telepathy because the Huaoshy were making plans to alter the dimensional structure of the universe so as to make time travel impossible. A side-effect of that change would be that T-particles do not exist in the Final Reality (the world as we know it). Eventually, new forms of technology-assisted telepathy would have to be developed for humans in the Final Reality.

Figure 3. Alternate Gonnegon.

 One More Gonnegon.
The image shown to the left was generated by a collaboration between Mr. Wombo and DALL-E using a text prompt that included terms that Sydney J. Van Scyoc used to describe the Gonnegon in Assignment: Nor'Dyren; "high resolution photorealistic movie still showing an alien Gonnegon, pedantic and prim, born to rule, deep-bodied, high-browed, deep-chested, high-domed, heavy head arrogantly erect, eyes sunken and unpleasantly damp, imperious". 

Lato variations

 Biornn to Rule. Compare the image shown to the left to the one in Figure 1, above on this page that was made by Mr. Wombo alone. An even more alien version of a Gonnegon that was generated by DALL-E is shown here. 

There is a depiction of Lato in Figure 2, above. I explored variations in the appearance of Lato using various "styles" in WOMBO Dream. For the animated GIF shown to the right, the same text prompt was used to generate each image. It would be interesting to know how each of the WOMBO Dream styles was trained/programmed to give different types of output. When not sure which of these possible versions of Lato is the best for depicting a young woman who has grown up on Nor'Dyren, this kind of animated GIF is useful.

goddess of heat (see also)

 Alien Virus. I imagine that there is a close biological similarity between humans and the Ka^Erb because soon after arriving on Nor'Dyren, Tolan is stricken by an infectious disease. While he is ill and feverish, Tolan has a vision of a goddess of heat (see a depiction of this vision that was generated by Mr. Wombo, to the left). On Nor'Dyren there is even a name for this affliction of visitors to the planet: "second day illness".

 Telepathy, too. When Tolan reaches the sealed entrance to the underground chamber of the Qattagon, he is subjected to a series of "dreams". This is how Van Scyoc described them: "Dreams beyond mention. Dreams wild with possibility. Dreams that seemed, almost, to come to him from behind the door." For "Departure From Nor'Dyren", I imagine that these dreams were actually Tolan experiencing information flow to his brain from the Sedron Time Stream with the assistance of his Phari endosymbiont.

Lato's vision on Nor'Dyren.

 Sedron Time Stream. Previously, I've depicted R. Nyrtia as attempting to develop human telepaths in the far future of the Asimov Reality, while also suggesting that some individuals of the early space age in that Reality (such Sessily Veder as Gersen) might have had some limited telepathic abilities, so the same should be true in the Phari Reality. 

In my imagination, Tolan, Lato, the Ka^Erb, the Qattagon of Nor'Dyren such as Purn and the Slibili of B^Ta might all have had some weak link to the Sedron Time Stream. In the image shown to the right, I imagine Lato is studying alien biology on Nor'Dyren when she links to the Sedron Time Stream and has a vision from the future time when she goes to B^Ta and meets a Slibili who has a weak telepathic linkage to Lato. It is on B^Ta that Lato learns the truth about Qattagon telepathic abilities and realizes that Purn has long influenced and manipulated Lato's thought processes.

Lato on B^Ta

Among the Allegon, Berregon, Gonnegon, Qattagon, Regregon and Sorrigon, I imagine that the Qattagon had the most functional linkage to the Sedron Time Stream and some weak telepathic ability which they used to influence the behavior of the Regregon and Sorrigon. Not understanding the basis of Qattagon influence over the Regregon and Sorrigon, the Gonnegon of Nor'Dyren eventually implemented their plan for removing Qattagon from Nor'Dyren. They could devise no way to selectively eliminate Qattagon, so all three of the hermaphroditic hybrid types were eliminated from society at the same time.

The Phari nanite network.

 New Life. Also, while on B^Ta, Lato discovers that she is pregnant, having been impregnated by Purn. The mystery of how humans and Qattagon can be inter-fertile must be addressed and Lato's training as a biologist is useful, however the existence of a nanoscopic Phari endosymbiont guiding the evolution of intelligent life forms through-out the galaxy is beyond the realm of solutions to the puzzle that Lato can contemplate. 

I provided Mr. Wombo with this text prompt: "nanoscopic Phari endosymbionts guiding the evolution of intelligent life forms through-out the galaxy" and ended up with the image shown to the right. The fates of Lato and Purn have been linked by the Phari network of endosymbionts that reside inside the life forms of the galaxy. 

Lato studying tree waifs.

 Exobiology. As a Qattagon, Purn seems to have an instinct for politics. From an early age, Lato in intrigued by biology. The image shown to the left was generated with the help of WOMBO Dream. The basic tree image was decorated by pasting in additional strange creatures that were also generated by Mr. Wombo using a text prompt that included: "green sentient tree creature and a human woman, the tree creature has green leaves that look like human hands, the tree creature likes to grab unsuspecting humans, the tree creature has glowing eyes and a head with branches instead of hair". On Jack Vance's imagined world of  Rosalia, visitors must deal with pesky alien creatures called tree-waifs and water-waifs. I expect that Lato will have to deal with some equally difficult aliens in "Departure From Nor'Dyren" when she visits B^Ta.

a Slibili of planet B^Ta

In my imagination, the Slibili of planet B^Ta are quite similar in appearance to Earthlings. This is due to a combination of factors. Firstly, the Slibili have evolved in parallel with humans over the past two million years, constantly under the influence and guidance of their Phari endosymbiont. Secondly, the Slibili have advanced nanotechnology that allows them to modify their appearance by means of both developmental control nanites and medical cosmetics nanites. 

As shown in the image to the right, the Slibili of planet B^Ta are quite tall and have sharp teeth.

Related Reading: my discussion of the alien "2 x 3 = Sha" reproductive system with Bard.

Next: The Lost Machine.

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